, 1887-06-30
Prospective Railroad War.

The terms Of the compact Eet.een
the Oregon Railway and Navigation
and the Northern Pacific, which forms
the basis OF their mutual coed rc!a-
ton. have never been given to the
public. Nevertheless, they are fairly
we'll known in their general scope:
and it is an open secret that they give
10 the latter very great advantage
over the former In return Tor east
bound business the former was to
give the latter west bouLd business;
that is, the two roads were to be ops
rated Jointly as one liue and were to
divide, upon a fixed schedule, the
income from through business. Com
ing down 10 local matters, the North
ern was not to extend its lines into
the country south Of Snake river, and
the Oregon y Navigation was to limit
It's operations north OF Snake river to
its Paiouse branch.
As to the first part OF this agree
ment. there has been little trouble,
since in sense each company has
been dependent upon the other, in
the case of the northern the depond-
ence being absolute. As to the local
division of territory, tie compact has
been a restraint only in name. True,
there has been small actual trespGss
on the part OF either company, hut
each has schemed against the other,
and in purpose and by negotiation
has violated the compact over and
over again. The extension last year
from Colfax to Pennington and Mos
cow; the survey of the proposed
extension to the Goeur dAlene mines;
these and other operations on the
part OF the Oregon Railway & Navi-
cation Company have not been
strictly within the line of good faith.
On the other hand, the branch from
the Northern main line south into
Palouse country; the so called Board
OF trade" scheme to connect Walla
Walla with the Northern Pacific;
these and other schemes on the part
of the Northern have shown how
scant is lis regard fer the compact.
In short, while both parties have Kept
up pretense Of good faith, each have
been laying plans TO attack the other
another, putting them into effect.
Tho outward appearance of CO.
operation and mutual good will is
still scrupulously and oatentatiously
maintained, but ii is well known that
each company longs to get at the
throat of the other. In their five
years Of close and forced relationship
there have been many aggravations
OH both sides, and each within its
own councils resents what it esteems
the aggressions of the other. With
this feeling, and with a great and
developing country (the Columbia
river basin) between them, they can-
not long maintain even the appear
ance Of friendship. The Northern
Pacific has just now made way for
itself over the Cascade mountains.
It has now through line of its own
and may be entirely independent of
the Oregon Railway & Navigation.
It may be expected to follow the
example just made by the Union
Pacific, namely, to do its business
over its own line and to abandon the
Or gon Railway & Navigation as the
Union Pacific has abandoned it's old
ally, the Central Pacific. This action,
natural and inevitable, must, in our
Judgment, make aH-,open rupture
between the two companies. The
Oregon Railway & Navigation will
claim it as a breach of contract.
Pretensions of good will will cease
with cooperation in through traffic
and a war" will follow in which the
old territorial agreement will be for
gotten, and each will reach out into
the others field. Within three years
we expect to see branches of both
roads penetrating all sections, at least
of tie middle basin, Northern
branches into tho heart of tho Pa
louse, Walla Walla and Umatilla
countries, and Oregon Railway &
Navigation branches to Spokane
Falls, Cmur d'Alene, to the Big Bend
and elsewhere.